Titanic at 100: Railway magnate’s big dreams for Prince Rupert went down with the ship

Prince Rupert in 1909: The village was on the brink of a major boom led by Charles Hays, but the plans sank along with the railway magnate, who died aboard the Titanic three years later.Handout
/ Files

Noted English architect Francis Rattenbury was commissioned by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in the early 1900s to sketch a magnificent hotel on the Prince Rupert waterfront. The palatial design was meant to resemble Rattenbury's other famous buildings such as the Empress in Victoria. The hotel was never built because the project's visionary, Grand Trunk president Charles Hays, perished aboard the Titanic.Submitted
/ Prince Rupert City & Regional Archives

Clara Hays aboard the SS Rupert. Unlike her husband, she survived the sinking of the Titanic.Submitted
/ Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum

Prince Rupert’s future has never looked brighter than it did on April 10, 1912, the day the Titanic set out to make its mark on luxurious travel with its first trans-Atlantic crossing. On board was railway magnate Charles Hays, a visionary who wanted to build a large port city on B.C.’s North Coast that would take a chunk out of Vancouver’s lucrative overseas trade. The town’s ambitious plans were well advanced when they were abruptly halted after Hays’s tragic death exactly 100 years ago on April 15, 1912.

¶¶¶

Plans to make Prince Rupert a grand city of the Canadian West were steaming full speed ahead 100 years ago as the Titanic met its destiny in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912.

The town’s ambitious vision was the creation of railway magnate Charles Hays, an industry titan who wanted to turn a stand of virgin evergreens on B.C.’s North Coast into a deepwater port to challenge Vancouver’s dominance.

Hays and his family were travelling in first-class luxury aboard the Titanic as special guests of J. Bruce Ismay, chairman of the White Star Line, which owned the ship.

In Hays’ possession were the results of meetings with the project’s financial backers in London.

Prince Rupert’s future as a “metropolis” of 50,000 people seemed set, secured by the second transcontinental railway which Hays’ Grand Trunk company was building.

All that was needed was for his safe return, so the details could be hammered out.

None of it happened.

The town’s future was swallowed up as surely as Hays himself aboard the Titanic. The city remained an undeveloped village for another 60 years.

“Hays’ vision for Prince Rupert is now recognized by countries along the Pacific Rim,” says the city’s present-day mayor, Jack Mussallem, noting export trade has doubled since 2009 to $5 billion annually.

“Residents look kindly on him because he’s the reason we’re here,” he says.

Hays’ death prompted one of the great “what if?’s” of B.C. history.

NO TIME FOR CHIT-CHAT

Hays, 55, was an American by birth who had risen through the ranks of the industry by transforming money-losing railways into profitable ventures.

He was first noticed when a senior executive spotted a young clerk hard at work while his fellows wasted time on chit-chat.

Earning quick promotion, Hays came to Canada as president of the Grand Trunk companies in 1896 and made plans for a second transcontinental line.

He chose Prince Rupert as the western terminus, because it was 800 kilometres closer to Asia and in a perfect position to bite into traffic going to more established centres such as Vancouver and San Francisco.

Town resident Jim West, who has studied Hays’ life, describes him as a flamboyant financier cut in the Donald Trump mould.

“He used other peoples’ money like Trump does today. He was the type of individual who built the vast North American railroad system,” says West.

Hays’ confidant was Canadian prime minister Wilfred Laurier, who said in 1910 that he believed Prince Rupert was “destined to be one of the great cities of North America.”

Hays’ vision was well on its way by the time the ship-busting hulk of an iceberg brought an end to the Titanic.

On that very day, carpenters were hammering together wooden buildings in the ever-growing town centre.

The railroad was being laid by Chinese workers through uncharted B.C. mountains and would be completed two years later.

The federal government had been convinced to contribute port facilities and Hays had made trips to Asia to start trade flowing.

“He was given the keys to a city in China,” says Hays’ great-great-grandson, Michael Hall, 48, a bartender at a Portland, Ore., restaurant.

“He was thinking of the big, grand thing. He was going to get his railway done and change the world,” says Hall.

The noted English architect Francis Rattenbury had sketched a palatial waterfront hotel in Prince Rupert which brought to mind the Empress in Victoria, a building Rattenbury also designed.

Rattenbury met a murderous demise in what some Brits still refer to as the "crime of the century." And a B.C.-born beauty, Alma Rattenbury, was suspected of the deadly deed. Read the sordid details of the scandal in this 2011 U.K. Daily Mail story.

The streets had been laid out in a modified grid pattern by municipal design specialists Brett and Hall of Boston, who emphasized grandeur and civic pride.

“It was an instant city,” says West.

Hays was the sort who liked to be on hand to pump up the troops. He dropped by Prince Rupert twice in 1911 to check on progress.

EXPECTED TO BE RESCUED

On the night of April 14, 1912, when the Titanic began sinking, Hays reacted calmly.

After outfitting his wife, daughter and maid with warm furs, he watched them depart on lifeboats.

The family didn’t feel that goodbyes were necessary because Hays believed that the great ship would stay afloat for at least eight hours.

Hall has little to add to his famous relative’s demise, except that it has been a frequent topic of conversation through the generations.

“The family has always been fascinated with the story. We’ve always known that Prince Rupert was a key part of it,” he says.

Hall says he was facing a mid-life crisis when he visited Prince Rupert two years ago looking for inspiration.

Standing by his great-great-grandfather’s statue at city hall, he felt the power of his vision.

“Surveying this beautiful little town, I could certainly see how he thought it was a paradise,” says Hall. “It’s such a perfect spot, I’m surprised it didn’t happen without him.”

The new Evergreen Line SkyTrain extension underwent a trial by snow on its first full day of commuter...

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.